Venezuela prepares for February 23rd

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Venezuela prepares for February 23rd

By Guido Lanfranchi.

The situation in Venezuela remains tense ahead of February 23rd, the date set by opposition leader Juan Guaidó for allowing humanitarian aid into the country. The current tensions trace back to January 23rd, when Mr. Guaidó declared himself as President of the Republic ad interim, swiftly gaining the recognition of a number of foreign countries, notably the United States, followed by a number of American and European countries.

The United States has assumed a leading role in the campaign against the government of Nicolás Maduro. After January 23rd, the U.S. has stepped up its economic measures against the current Venezuelan government, including through new restrictions on the state-owned oil company PDVSA. The U.S. has also harshened its rhetoric against Mr. Maduro and his government. In a speech in Florida on Monday, President Trump has reiterated that, while peaceful regime change remains the preferred path, “all options are on the table”. The U.S. President openly called for the Venezuelan military to turn against Maduro, and to allow the inflow of the humanitarian aid that is piling up along Venezuela’s borders.

The issue of the humanitarian aid remains a thorny one ahead of Saturday’s deadline. The Venezuelan military will be involved first-hand at the border and its role will be crucial in defining how the confrontation will evolve. While on the one hand Mr. Trump has been calling for the military to disobey the current government, Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López assured that the military and the government will not give in to the U.S. pressure. “They underestimate us. We’re calling for carrying out our historic duty: to defend the country.”

Although the U.S. and other American states such as Colombia have been taking the lead in the international pressure campaign against Mr. Maduro’s government, opposition leader Juan Guaidó stressed that the origin of all such initiatives resides inside Venezuela, and that the Venezuelan people are those initiating the calls for a political transition in the country.

International drug trafficking network disrupted

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International drug trafficking network disrupted

In a joint operation, the German Public Prosecutor’s Office (PPO) Münster, the German Customs’ Investigation Office, the Dutch Specialised Prosecution Office for Fraud and Environmental Crime in Zwolle and the Dutch Fiscal Intelligence and Investigation Service (FIOD) dismantled an organised crime group (OCG) involved in international drug trafficking and money laundering.

The national investigations that culminated in the common action day were supported by Eurojust and Europol. A joint investigation team (JIT) was established in November 2018, which allowed the national authorities to quickly gather and safely exchange information and evidence. Eurojust provided financial support to the JIT and facilitated judicial and operational cooperation between the national authorities. Europol deployed a mobile office during the action and provided forensic support on the spot. 

The national investigations into the OCG were initiated in September 2018. The OCG was composed of 13 members, including some of Afghan and Dutch origin. The suspects in the Netherlands prepared parcels or envelopes with drugs, which were mailed to Germany.

The perpetrators in Germany used various mailboxes and post offices to ship the packages on to recipients around the world. The orders were made online through the darknet, using cryptocurrency, such as bitcoin and paysafecards, given the anonymity it offers. Members of the OCG are also suspected of being involved in money laundering activities related to their profits. 

Prior to today’s action, amphetamines, MDMA, cocaine, heroin and ecstasy, with a total street value of more than € 400 000, were seized. Today, 10 private residences and business premises were searched at the German-Dutch border. Large amounts of drugs, including 40 kg of amphetamine and 1 kg of ecstasy pills, as well as mobile phones, computers, documents and € 10 000 in cash, were seized. Twelve suspects were arrested, four under European Arrest Warrants.

Stars in Bvlgari at the LXIX Berlinale

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Stars in Bvlgari at the LXIX Berlinale

Emilia Schuele, Bart de Boever and Lilly zu Sayn Wittgenstein during the Bulgari party with the motto #Starsinbulgari on February 7, 2019 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Franziska Krug/Getty Images for Bulgari)

Thursday, 7 February 2019, Secret Garden, Berlin: Curtain up for BVLGARI on the occasion of its annual party at the beginning of the film festival in Berlin. Apart from the brand ambassadorsPrincess Lilly zu Sayn Wittgenstein-Berleburg and Emilia Schüle, celebreties such as Toni Garrn, Daniel Brühl, Oliver Masucci, Lars Eidinger, Lena Gercke, Sonja Gerhardt and Ellen von Unwerthattended the event. 

During the 69th Berlin Film Festival the Italian jewellery house hosted their – meanwhile traditional – exclusive party for the 6th time. According to the motto #STARSINBVLGARI the fascinating facettes of cinema were celebrated in the venue of the Secret Garden Berlin. Ever since, Bvlgari has had an eye for this fire, that fine difference, that in the flurry of the camera flashes reveals the greatest beauties to the world. You hear the cameras snap, the lips are pursed, a glance brushes aside, and the Bvlgari woman moves on sensually, with sophisticated glamour in every wink towards the photographers.

BERLIN, GERMANY – FEBRUARY 07: Emilia Schuele and Oliver Masucci during the Bulgari party with the motto #Starsinbulgari on February 7, 2019 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Franziska Krug/Getty Images for Bulgari)

Linked to the film industry for many decades, Bvlgari jewellery has played a leading role in over 40 films, walked the red carpets at the Oscars, the Golden Globes, and the major film festivals from Berlin to Cannes. Bvlgari embellished big names like Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn, Ingrid Bergman, Sophia Loren, Naomi Watts, Charlize Theron and Julienne Moore, to name only a few, with precious and outstanding jewels.

Also at this year’s film festival in Berlin, the Roman jeweller sparkled to the bet with the photographer’s flashlights and celebrated a fabulous party, accompanied by the sounds of actor and DJ Lars Eidinger (Autistic Disco / !K7) and Bonnie (Musique Couture / InLoveWith). 

BVLGARI Part of the LVMH Group, Bvlgari was founded in Rome in 1884 as a jewellery shop and quickly established a reputation for Italian excellence with exquisite craftsmanship and magnificent jewellery creations.

BERLIN, GERMANY – FEBRUARY 07: Rick Okon and Amy Mussul during the Bulgari party with the motto #Starsinbulgari on February 7, 2019 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Franziska Krug/Getty Images for Bulgari)

The Company’s international success has evolved into a global and diversified luxury purveyor of products and services ranging from fine jewels and watches to accessories and perfumes, with an unrivalled network of boutiques and hotels in the world’s most exclusive shopping areas.

Amongst the prominent participants this year were HSH Prinzessin Lilly zu Sayn Wittgenstein-Berleburg (Bulgari Brand Ambassador), Emilia Schüle (Bulgari Brand Ambassador), Toni Garrn, Leonard Freier, Daniel Brühl, Oliver Masucci, Ellen von Unwerth, Lars Eidinger, Lena Gercke, Sonja Gerhardt, Gizem Emre, Rick Okon, etc. 


For further information: 
https://www.bulgari.com/en-de/

Hessian Minister Puttrich bets on Europe’s future 

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Hessian Minister Puttrich bets on Europe’s future 

100 days before the ballot to the European Parliament taking place on 26 May 2019, Hessian Minister of Federal and European Affairs, Lucia Putrich, began a series of events under the motto “Lebe dein Europa”/Live your Europe. 

Wiesbaden, State of Hesse: the elections being held under the motto “This time I’am voting/Diesmal wähle ich” are being promoted by the European Parliament Information Office in order to motivate citizens to vote. 
“The European Parliament is our democratic representation towards the European Union and shapes with its decisions our lives. Hence the European election is as important as the federal elections” according to Minister Lucia Puttrich. “We would like in Hesse to send a signal – through a high ballot participation as well as a clear declaration for a united, democratic Europe”.

In fact, Minister Puttrich is optimistic, for during the plebiscite in Hesse held on 28 October 2018, 82,4 per cent of Hessians voted in favour for the inclusion into the state’s constitution of a clause that declares the pursuit of a united Europe. 

Minister Lucia Puttrich. Photography by Michael von Lingen.

Hessen is prominently pro-European: “Through the European Central Bank and other European top organisations, the international financial centre, the plentiful economic ties and rapid transport connections to all European capitals, is Hesse and in particularly Frankfurt, re-markedly European, and we profit from the European integration”. 

On their part, the Hessian State Government has already launched its own campaign to encourage people to vote and be active before the elections on 26 May. As Minister Puttrich emphasises the “Europe is not anonymous institutions in distant Brussels but rather Europe is everyone of us”. 

In 2014 lay the ballot participation by 48,1, that is, a remarkable increase since thirty-five years. In Hesse there was a participation increase of 4,3 to 42,2 percent.  

For further information  
https://www.european-elections.eu

Norway Announces €100,000 Voluntary Contribution to OPCW’s Trust Fund for Syria Missions

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Norway Announces €100,000 Voluntary Contribution to OPCW’s Trust Fund for Syria Missions

On the picture, the State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway, H.E. Mr Audun Halvorsen.

The Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), H.E. Mr Fernando Arias, met with the State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway, H.E. Mr Audun Halvorsen, during a visit to OPCW Headquarters in The Hague.

The Director-General and the State Secretary discussed progress in the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), as well as the June 2018 decision by the States Parties to address the threat from chemical weapons use. With reference to that decision, and in accordance with the Programme and Budget decision of the OPCW for 2019, the State Secretary announced a voluntary contribution of €100,000 from Norway to the Trust Fund for Syria Missions. 

He remarked: “Norway has always been a strong supporter of the work of the OPCW to keep the world free of chemical weapons. This is now more important than ever. This grant will contribute to the identification of the perpetrators of chemical weapons use in Syria, and, hence, contribute to increased security and diminishing human suffering in Syria.”

The discussions further focused on the implications of the recent Fourth Review Conference for OPCW’s future activities, and the expansion of the Organisation’s laboratory capabilities through the construction of a Centre for Chemistry and Technology.

The Director-General thanked the State Secretary for Foreign Affairs for the contribution and expressed: “The work of the OPCW is sustained by the humanity’s desire to live in a world free of chemical weapons and underpinned by the support of State Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention. I want to express my thanks to Norway for its long-standing and staunch commitment to verifiably eliminating chemical weapons.”

Seminar on “Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100” in the Netherlands

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Seminar on “Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100” in the Netherlands

The delta bond between Bangladesh and the Netherlands was reassured in a seminar at the Littéraire Sociëteit De Witte in The Hague on 21 January 2019.

Bangladesh Ambassador to the Netherlands Sheikh Mohammed Belal, in his speech, expected that that the Netherlands, with its vast reservoir of knowledge and technology, huge pool of water and delta related business entities and knowledge institutions as well as enormous goodwill for Bangladesh, will come forward to support Bangladesh to implement the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100.

Ambassador Belal appreciated Dutch innovation and creativity in securing their country from the scourge of floods despite large part of its being below the mean sea level and underscored that the Dutch ingeniosity in delta management would be critical in implementing Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 as well like its technical assistance to Bangladesh in formulating the plan.

The Ambassador recalled the historic visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to the Netherlands in November 2015 and the twin-ministerial visit from the Netherlands to Bangladesh in June 2015 towards forging institutional cooperation between the two delta countries and the Dutch assurance for the implementation of Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 to make our delta safe and productive for the people.

Ambassador Belal also urged Dutch support for implementation of Sustainable Development Goals 2030 and be a partner of development through implementation of Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100, which is premised on greater attention to the grassroots through its in-built bottom-up approach.

Prof. Dr. Jaap de Heer,

Prof. Dr. Jaap de Heer, Team Leader and Director of the Consortium assigned to prepare the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100, made a keynote presentation in the seminar. He elaborated on the genesis of Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 and explained the key features of the plan and implementation challenges. Appreciating the Government of Bangladesh for undertaking a long-term plan for sustainable deltaic Bangladesh, Professor Jaap de Heer underscored the need to mobilize required fund and appropriate institutions to implement the plan.

As the delta management in Bangladesh will largely depend upon cooperation with the Himalayan basin countries due to Bangladesh’s many trans-boundary rivers, Professor Jaap de Heer also emphasized the need to have broader regional cooperation in the water sector across the basin states.

The Ambassador and Professor Jaap de Heer responded to the questions asked by the distinguished members of the Asian Table. The program was conducted by Secretary of the Asian Table Mr. Ronald Staallekker. Amongst the audience, there were former ambassadors, civil servants, politicians, consultants in different fields with experience in Asia in general and Bangladesh in particular.

The  Littéraire Sociëteit De Witte  in The Hague is an elite institution known for its selective but very professionally rendered events for its members. 

National Day of the State of Qatar

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National Day of the State of Qatar
By Anton Lutter. On the occasion of the National Day of the State of Qatar, His Excellency Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al-Thani, ambassador to the Netherlands hosted a reception at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in The Hague. The ambassador – who represents his country since 2017 – reiterated the importance of the longstanding friendship between the Netherlands and the State of Qatar. Since 2006 Qatar has an embassy in The Hague one year after the Netherlands opened its embassy in Doha, which resulted amongst others in multiple trade missions and official visits. In July of this year the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs His Excellency Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, signed a memorandum of understanding with Minister of Foreign Affairs H.E. Mr. Stef Blok on the establishment of political consultations on issues of mutual interest. Only a few months earlier the Dutch’ new embassy premises were inaugurated in the presence of Mrs. Joke Brandt, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and her Qatari counterpart Dr. Ahmad Hassan al-Hammadi. The reception at Crown Plaza was a showcase of traditional Qatari cuisine, which was hugely appreciated by the attending diplomats, businesspeople and other guests.

ICC and Government of Georgia conclude Agreement on the Enforcement of Sentences

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ICC and Government of Georgia conclude Agreement on the Enforcement of Sentences

Minister of Justice of Georgia H.E. Ms Tea Tsulukiani and ICC First Vice-President Judge Robert Fremr signing an Agreement on the Enforcement of Sentences on 24 January 2019 ©ICC-CPI

The International Criminal Court (“ICC” or “Court”) and the Government of Georgia have concluded an Agreement on the Enforcement of Sentences. Under the agreement, persons convicted by the ICC may serve their sentence of imprisonment in Georgia if so decided by the Court and accepted by the Government of Georgia.

On 24 January 2019, Judge Robert Fremr, First Vice-President of the Court, and H.E. Ms Tea Tsulukiani, Minister of Justice of Georgia, signed the agreement at the Court’s premises.

The Rome Statute provides that sentences of imprisonment imposed by the ICC “shall be served in a State designated by the Court from a list of States which have indicated to the Court their willingness to accept sentenced persons”.

Welcoming the Government of Georgia’s commitment and support for the Court in signing the Agreement, First Vice-President Fremr stated: “The active support of the States Parties is a fundamental precondition for the Court’s ability to carry out its mandate. In addition to obligatory cooperation under the Rome Statute, it is essential that all States Parties consider which forms of voluntary cooperation they may be able to offer to the Court”.

H.E. Ms Tea Tsulukiani, Minister of Justice of Georgia said that: “The signing of the Agreement on Enforcement of Sentences is clear manifestation of Georgia’s commitment to strengthen the ICC as a legal institution, by contributing to enforcing international justice. This agreement creates necessary legal infrastructure to place the ICC sentenced persons in the Georgian prisons and the Georgian penitentiary system would join the limited number of those designated by ICC for enforcing sentences as being of high standards. ”

Similar agreements on the enforcement of sentences are currently in force between the ICC and the governments of Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Mali, Norway, Serbia, Sweden and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

C Pre-Trial Chamber II joins Yekatom and Ngaïssona cases

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C Pre-Trial Chamber II joins Yekatom and Ngaïssona cases

On 20 February 2019, Pre-Trial Chamber II decided to join the cases of The Prosecutor v. Alfred Yekatom and The Prosecutor v. Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona. 

In the Chamber’s view, joint proceedings against Mr Yekatom and Mr Ngaïssona will serve to enhance the fairness and expeditiousness of the proceedings by avoiding the duplication of evidence, inconsistency in the presentation and assessment of evidence, undue impact on witnesses and victims, and unnecessary expense. In joint cases, each suspect shall be accorded the same rights as if such suspect were being tried separately. 

The Chamber scheduled the hearing on the confirmation of the charges in the (joint) case of Prosecutor v. Alfred Yekatom and Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona for 18 June 2019.

The purpose of the confirmation of charges hearing is to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to establish substantial grounds to believe that the person committed each of the crimes charged. If the charges are confirmed, the person will be committed to a Trial Chamber, which will conduct the subsequent phase of the proceedings: the trial.

Decision on the joinder of the cases against Alfred Yekatom and Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona and other related matters

Centre Pompidou: two bio-digital sculptures embody the future forms of spatial intelligence

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Centre Pompidou: two bio-digital sculptures embody the future forms of spatial intelligence

Claudia Pasquero and Marco Poletto, founders of ecoLogicStudio  www.ecologicstudio.com and their research partners: the Urban Morphogenesis Lab at The Bartlett UCL, the Synthetic Landscape Lab at Innsbruck University, and the Wasp Hub at the University of Southern Denmark, are participating in the exhibition “La Fabrique du Vivant” [The Fabric of the living] at the Centre Pompidou in Paris (20 February – 15 April 2019).

The show, part of Mutations-Créations series and curated by Marie-Ange Brayer with Olivier Zeitoun, retraces the archaeology of the living and of artificial life.

As the curators assert, in the digital era, a new interaction is emerging between creation and the fields of life science, neuroscience and synthetic biology. The notion of “living” takes on a new form of artificiality, that permeates the entire Urbansphere — the global apparatus of contemporary urbanity. Here, the miniaturization, distribution and intelligence of manmade urban networks have reached in-human complexity, engendering evolving processes of synthetic life on Earth.

Within this context, a multidisciplinary team led by architects Claudia Pasquero and Marco Poletto, has created “in-human gardens”, two 3D printed living sculptures receptive to human and non-human life. These pieces confront the pillars of human rationality with the effects of proximity to bio-artificial intelligence. Both sculptures have been developed in “collaboration” with living organisms, more specifically colonies of photosynthetic cyanobacteria, H.O.R.T.U.S. XL Astaxanthin.g, and a collective of Asian Fawn Tarantulas, XenoDerma. Their non-human agency is mediated by spatial substructures developed by the artists while studying biological models of endosymbiosis. These structures are algorithmically designed and produced by means of large-scale, high-resolution 3D printing technology.

Both sculptural pieces are intended to be speculative 1:1 scale prototypes of living architectures, a new generation of thick biophilic architectural skins receptive to urban life.

H.O.R.T.U.S. XL Astaxanthin.g
(by ecoLogicStudio in collaboration with Innsbruck University – Synthetic Landscape Lab, University of Southern Denmark – Wasp Hub)

In H.O.R.T.U.S. XL Astaxanthin.g, a digital algorithm simulates the growth of a substratum inspired by coral morphology. This is physically deposited by 3D printing machines in layers of 400 microns, supported by triangular units of 46 mm and divided into hexagonal blocks of 18.5 cm. Photosynthetic cyanobacteria are inoculated on a biogel medium into the individual triangular cells, or bio-pixel, forming the units of biological intelligence of the system. Their metabolisms, powered by photosynthesis, convert radiation into actual oxygen and biomass. The density-value of each bio-pixel is digitally computed in order to optimally arrange the photosynthetic organisms along iso-surfaces of increased incoming radiation. Among the oldest organisms on Earth, cyanobacteria’s unique biological intelligence is gathered as part of a new form of bio-digital architecture.

In spring 2019, H.O.R.T.U.S. XL Astaxanthin.g will be exhibited at the MAK – Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna.

XenoDerma 
(by Urban Morphogenesis Lab directed by Claudia Pasquero at The Bartlett UCL)

In XenoDerma, spider web morphogenesis is intercepted with a man-made spatial scaffolding, algorithmically designed and 3D printed. Spiders’ minds, in this case Asian Fawn Tarantulas, do not entirely reside in their bodies, as their webs constitute a form of spatial thinking. Information from their webs become an integral part of their cognitive systems. The behaviour of the spiders and the production of silk is re-programmed in XenoDerma through the design of the 3D printed substructure and of its geometrical features. The result consciously seeks productive ambiguity, revealing in the alien beauty of its silky morphologies, an intelligence that resides somewhere at the intersection of the biological, technological and digital realms. 

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